Books for Bith Canceled

Due to zero recipient interest, we are unfortunately unable to carry on with the program Books For Birth, which donates literature and materials for an empowering birth to women.

While we did seem to have several people express excitement over the program, there were no official nominees. To nominate yourself or others, people had to send an e-mail to info@theperfectbirth.com.

It saddens me to announce this, as I thought this was a very good idea, a noble cause, and a great way to do something charitable and giving that would have an awesome impact on people. It seems as though the need wasn’t great enough, or perhaps I was not being connected to the people in the most need. In any event, this news has been disheartening to say the least, and I had had high hopes for the future of it. I had imagined giving away not only great books, but great materials; I had dreamed of giving a birthing pool in December for the holiday season. In light of the failure of the program to take off (or the lack of need for the program), I will be taking somewhat of a hiatus from birth issues to focus on other projects of mine that have been vying for my attention, including another book I’m writing.

We had just recently procured a sponsor, Love Lives Here, and had also chosen the selection for the month of October, Birth and Breastfeeding, by Dr. Michel Odent.

Announcing “Books For Birth”

One of the main problems in pregnancy and childbirth today is lack of information. This comes in the form of the spread of misinformation and misconceptions, lack of availability of great birth resources, and lack of access to these. It’s not that most women mean to be miseducated, but it happens, even to the smartest and most diligent moms-to-be.

This is why In Search of the Perfect Birth wants to put an end to that.  “Books for Birth” was created to connect women to good birthing resources through sponsorship/donation. It is completely not for profit. We only want to help people. If successful in launching and execution, our goal is to do monthly giveaways of great materials. Mostly this will consist of literature– excellent books like Unassisted Childbirth, Heart & Hands, Spiritual Midwifery, etc.– and occasionally we strive to include other materials (birthing pools, baby scales, etc.). I am serious about wanting you to have your best birth and feel that nothing should get in the way of that, so I’m doing what I can to help. When women are informed and have the right tools (knowledge, confidence, and supplies included), they can have a powerful experience rather than a traumatic one. More and more babies can be born healthily, and in peace.

How can you get involved?

SPONSORS

Each month we’ll select an item and let you know ahead of time, via this blog and Facebook page. If it’s something you are excited about sponsoring for a mother, get in touch with us at info@theperfectbirth.com (please make SPONSOR your subject). We will be happy to work with you. If you are not selected as sponsor that month, please keep an eye out for following months to donate. We will surely need you! We don’t want to make you keep resubmitting, but it’s our way of ensuring you approve of the gift we are giving that month, as well as keeping you from being on any “please give” newsletters from us. No one likes spam. 🙂

Most donations will be quite small, so if you can donate even just the cost of a used book for a new mother, that could be as little as $5. If you are sponsoring the full cost of the book or item, we will ask that you purchase and ship it (say, from Amazon, for example) yourself at your own expense. If you would rather make any donation of money, we can work that out too. This will allow multiple donors to all contribute and chip in for one gift to a mother. This would obviously work best for more expensive items, but any help is appreciated. In the event of multiple sponsors for a single item, I will collect the funds and ship the item myself to the mother.

Who can be a Sponsor? Anyone can sponsor! Of course, this may be most beneficial coming from organized groups like the ones on Facebook, which already exist for empowering women in birth. However, individuals are welcome to help.

Aside from doing a good deed in the world of birth, you will also be getting recognition from us and the mothers for your generosity. We will be publicizing these activities by sharing photos of the items donated, sharing brief details about the mother herself, and talking about the generous sponsors and who they are. You will always get credit for your part (unless you wish to remain anonymous), and this could be good as well for getting additional traffic to your Facebook page, website, blog, etc. Good publicity for good works.

Please send your item ASAP when the month in question rolls around. For example, if you sign up and are approved in September to be a sponsor, October is the month you want to send the gift. The sooner, the better. Remember, nominees are primarily moms-to-be… if you send it too late, they may have a baby by the time their gift arrives!

BE SPONSORED

Are you pregnant? Are you a mother? Do you know a mother-to-be? Would you like to receive an excellent resource to help you along the way? Nominate yourself or someone you know at info@theperfectbirth.com (please make NOMINEE your subject). Tell us a little about yourself (how far along you are, birth history, what you’re like, etc.) and make sure the item being sponsored that month is something that you don’t have, would like, and could use. We will choose one nominee a month. You don’t have to be currently pregnant to be considered, but pregnant mothers will receive first consideration. You do have to re-nominate yourself each month if you want to be considered again. Previously sponsored nominees will be considered, but preference is given to newbies. I’ll be sending out reminders for this, so just keep an eye on our Facebook page or this blog for updates.

If you are selected, you do agree to let us use a picture of you (likely your profile picture; negotiable), refer to you by name in our postings, and privately give your mailing address to the sponsor you are matched with. We do recommend liking your sponsor on Facebook, just as a show of thanks for their generosity.

SPONSORS & NOMINEES

We do ask that you both be a friend to our page on Facebook to participate. This includes people who are being nominated by someone else. We want our materials to go to people who will really be receptive to them, so if you are trying to convert a skeptic, this would not be the best use of Books for Birth. We think “pushing” our “agenda” on the unwilling is a lost cause. No wasted opportunities! We intend to reach people who are accessible and open to alternative resources, because it is these folks our energies can help to get the most out of this program. We believe that if people are looking for certain information, the sort of which we provide, they will find us.  Of course, help them find us by linking them to our page(s)!

Nominees and Sponsors for the month will be chosen on the 18th of each month prior to the month given. For example:  the deadline for October’s nominees and sponsors submissions will be September 18. The item selected for sponsorship will be announced the 8th. For example, the book to be given in October will be announced September 8th. Some exceptions may apply; life happens. All changes and variances will be announced. To stay posted, keep an eye on our FB activity.

That’s it!  Thank you for all you do– whether it is in trying to give yourself and baby the best chance at the best birth, or for empowering other women to achieve this. Each of you is changing the world for the better, immensely. Now go tell your friends.